Tips on Telling your Business Story from Successful Writers

When I suggest telling your business story I hear a lot of grumbling. While the cause is partly lack of understanding as to who they are or who they hope to be (aside from successful), some people are just hesitant because they think they can’t write.

Telling your story is not about writing. It’s about encapsulating who you are as a business (and the people/person behind it) in a medium your audience will consume.

Still feeling nervous about storytelling? These great writers can help:

“I myself am made entirely out of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.” -Augusten Burroughs

If you’re not going to tell an honest story, don’t tell one. Conflict is what makes a story so don’t be afraid to tell of your failures. Think of them as flavoring, without a little spice, there’s not a memorable finish.

“This moment will be just another story someday.” – Stephen Chbosky

We can only hope that what we are dong at this moment is material for a great story.

“The world is a story we tell ourselves about the world.” -Vikram Chandra

Your business story is more than how you came to be. It’s about who you want to be.

Do you sell to pampered pets? Or do you want to be known as the working man’s something? Your story must convey this. Just as a novelist would pick a genre and write accordingly, tell your story in a way that appeals to your target audience and speaks their language.

Your business story becomes who you are to the world.

“Have your adventures, make your mistakes, and choose your friends poorly – all these make for great stories.” -Chuck Palahniuk

Your business failures will later become the grit of your stories. They will be the glue your customers adhere to, if you own up and admit to them.

“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.” – Brandon Sanderson

When writing your business story the phrase, “This is why you should buy…” should never come into it.

The story is a courtship of the customer.

That’s why a lot of marketers hate this method. It’s slow. It’s patient. You must woo the customer, court them. Never order them to do something. Lure them. Seduce them and they won’t want to leave.